Outside opinions: 49ers get bashed for blowout at Browns

A week after escaping Chicago with their first road win of the season, the 49ers’ 24-10 loss at Cleveland merited a round of bashing, which several national media outlets offered up Monday morning:

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NFL.com‘s Marc Sessler couldn’t sum up the game without pondering the 49ers’ overall status:

We won’t get too excited about Cleveland beating the Niners, but San Francisco — eliminated from playoff contention — should worry about crumbling to the lowly Browns. When coach Jim Tomsula could have made a statement against a desperate Cleveland club that ranks dead last in scoring differential, the 49ers looked lost from start to finish.

The Niners, for losing by two touchdowns at Cleveland. Bad loss. Not the loss itself, but the non-competitiveness of it.

King praised the Browns for playing Johnny Manziel to determine his worth: … Manziel made good choices against a bad team (21 of 31, 270 yards, one TD, one pick), but what coach Mike Pettine noticed was the progression reads he made, and the fact that Manziel was asked to bleed the clock late in the 24-10 and did, mostly.

The 49ers’ injury-depleted lineup didn’t go unnoticed in the Cleveland.com’s game story by Mary Kay Cabot:

The 49ers were without their best defensive player in Aaron Lynch (6.5 sacks, 13.5 tackles for a loss), who sat out with a concussion; but the Browns were also without theirs again in cornerback Joe Haden (concussion).

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The most positive aspect of the 49ers loss came from this season’s MVP: Phil Dawson, who was honored by the Browns fans for his 14 years of service:

In some ways, it was a typical day for Phil Dawson at FirstEnergy Stadium.

The kicker did his job to perfection and his team left the building a loser.

He knew that feeling all too well during 14 seasons with the Browns. But Sunday was no ordinary afternoon on the blustery lakefront for Dawson, who returned for the first time since leaving via free agency following the 2012 season.

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Remember, after last week’s win at Chicago, when everyone proclaimed Blaine Gabbert as the 49ers’ best option for 2016? Johnny Manziel is getting that treatment today by CBSSports.com, among others.

If Sunday’s game against the 49ers was an audition for Manziel, then the Browns have to start thinking seriously about making Manziel the team’s starter in 2016. Johnny Football was almost perfect against the 49ers, throwing for 270 yards and a touchdown in Cleveland’s 24-10 win.

The 49ers received an “F” grade later in that story:

The 49ers might have played their ugliest game of the season, which is saying a lot because the 49ers’ entire season has been ugly. The 49ers only had 48 total yards at halftime. The only time the offense moved the ball was during garbage time. The 49ers’ defense was horrible too. The Browns totaled 481 yards, which is the third time this season that the 49ers have surrendered over 480 yards. That’s bad because it marks the first time in franchise history that the 49ers have given up over 480 yards three times in one season